'India must end exploitation and victimisation of tribals'
Ending violent attacks on those Naxalites who have already entered politics, enacting comprehensive land reform and other measures aimed at dismantling the rural feudal power structure that oppresses India's poorest citizens: This is the American prescription for convincing Naxalites to renounce violence and embrace parliamentary politics.
At the same time, a cable from the United States Embassy sent on December 8, 2005 (47006: confidential), by Ambassador David Mulford said: "There is little sign that the GOI [Government of India] is willing to take such steps." As long as India's political parties and elites are willing to accept the status quo and not take on feudal interests, the stalemate and the violence will continue.
According to the cable, "Despite India's rapidly expanding economy, Naxalite groups in poor rural areas and their educated urban sympathizers continue to spread and have extended their areas of influence into 12 states, proving they can launch spectacular attacks on government facilities."
Indian economic development, the Embassy noted, has missed large portions of the countryside. "India's scheduled tribes, and scheduled castes who live in these remote areas, often face lives of desperation and view Naxalites as the only groups willing to defend them. There is no chance Naxalites could threaten the Indian state and the GOI is unlikely to eradicate Naxalism through police action. The most likely prospect is a continuing and bloody stalemate."
However, the Embassy also pointed out that India's Maoists are closely eyeing events in Nepal, and if their Nepali comrades eventually give up armed struggle, it could encourage the Naxalites to do the same.
Above ground support
In its analysis of the "Naxalite menace," the Embassy said: "Although Naxalites claim to represent the interests of India's oppressed Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the leadership is almost entirely from the upper castes, including some highly educated individuals. The same applies to the extensive Naxalite support network, including above- ground organizations of educated middle class persons from academia, the media and the legal profession."
Without this middle-class, above-ground support, the Naxalite movement would not have been able to expand, it added.
Another cable, sent on December 20, 2005 (48157: confidential) by Charge d'affaires Robert Blake said the government's unwillingness and inability to make the difficult decisions required to prevent destruction of the forests and to end the exploitation and victimisation of tribals plays into the hands of the Naxalites. "Most tribals have little or no faith that the GOI will protect them, and over time may see little alternative but to turn to the Maoists as the best of a bad set of choices."
(This article is a part of the series "The India Cables" based on the US diplomatic cables accessed by The Hindu via Wikileaks.)
Keywords: Cable47006, cable48157, The India Cables, WikiLeaks, Cablegate, Naxal thraet, internal disturbances
What the US Diplomat says is 'his' opinion. Naxals do NOT have any ground support from so many educated people as it says. While Naxals have at least one genuine issue, its largely terror-based. Army should NOT be used, instead locally trained forces should be focused and eliminate and rehabilitate the naxal groups as necessary.
When rural assets don't matter much and when even the so called rural rich are mere middleclasses (upper, middle or lower whatever) when they came to cities, it is the wealth of cities that need to be distributed, not the rural wealth. The propaganda against rural rich is the handiwork of few educated who amassed power and wealth in cities and want to control the countryside from these cities. Tax the cities and divert the funds to rural areas without adversely impacting the rural upper classes. Charan Singh called these class of people who are engaging in subverting the rural aristocracy as nouveau riche. These nouveau riche are the danger not the rural aristocracy.
I guess the people commenting here are ignoring the fact that Naxals themselves are not willing to allow improvement in the condition of Tribals and backward people. They lynch villagers who don't join them, calling them traitors. They regularly blow up schools, hospitals, mobile towers etc. They blew up Gyaneshwari Express carrying civilians in WB, beat to death the RTI activist in Jharkhand who was helping poor people get their homes under IG Awas Yojna, and abducted the unarmed DM in Odisha, who frequented tribal areas (without security guard) to improve their conditions. They forcibly make farmers grow opium and are involved in coal smuggling across their region of control (they mostly exist in mineral rich regions). If the Naxals were supposed to save oppressed from the 'monster' State of India, I believe they themselves have now turned into the very monsters they were fighting. I believe they're now fighting for territory control rather than for a noble cause.
What a sad state of affairs for such a great nation? Nobody is interested in the welfare of the nation. Elected representatives use the power vested in them to deposit illgotten money in foreign banks. Why are they doing it? To aquire more power? Or live in comfort once they are thrown out of this country? The most pathetic state is that of the middle class in this country who are educated. They don't want to do anything for improving the state of affairs of this dying nation, due to the fast spreading disease of correption. Selfish set who are going to suffer in long run.
India's own National Tribal Policy that was drafted several years back and that contained most of the points mentioned by the USA, was shoved under the carpet under pressure from business houses whose prime interest has always been to reap profits even at the cost of creating utter misery for the tribals. The government can still enact this policy and further beef it up if we are truly serious about addressing a problem that is essentially socio-economic in nature but that has cleverly been converted into a security related one so that the looting of forest wealth can continue. This is an ill omen for the nation as India is heading the same way as France circa 1789!
America should mind its own business. We can tackle our problem.
The US Diplomat´s got this one bang on target. The GOI doesn´t want to resolve this issue. If they had followed the American prescription, which is the most logical solution, the Naxals would have long gone. More violent measures from the GOI will only lead to stretching this conflict.
Poverty, casteism, and exploitation will all fuel the growth of Naxalite movement in India. The antidote is, simply listening to the grievances of these underclass and remedy it without further delay, lest the elite India would be shocked in the near future. When it happens it won't be a pretty sight!
USA assessed naxalite issue in a right way. Indian government should consider naxalite problem as a social issue. It has to take significant steps to bridge communication gap with tribals by honoring their legitimate concerns, particularly while granting mining leases and establishing industries in their premises.
It appears as if the US is seeing what Indian elites particularly those of the likes of Chidambaram and those within his bureaucracy are unable to see. These feudal elites definitely harbour anti-human approaches, want the caste-system to stay and keep on plundering rural wealth for the benefit of corporates.
The naxalite problem arises due to considerable amount of grieviances ,official apathy and various shortcomings which can only be addressed by a special group of social workers and missionary work. Education and social benefits for the people of the areas concerned has to be given.The problem cannot be dealt with Police alone.The law and order problem comes in only when people retaliate to solve those pent up grieviances.It is an open question whether the states involved are interested in helping those people come into society. It damages the mind of everyone when we read of brutal murders of policemen on a continuous basis. The damage is psychological. A third party to give succor is wanted and quick moves into those areas also.I suggested a series of helicopter served bases manned by all the three services spaced at 50 km intervals)and they will slowly set up hospital services and administration as an alternative force to back up and monitor police activity.The central forces may have to work since state is unwilling to fund or control these places for political reasons.The services can use these places for training their personnel,keep an eye on the activities and be familiar with the terrain.
The main reason for naxalism is Poverty. Eradicate it and if any kind of reservation is provided it should be given to poor people.
It's surprising that even American diplomats know the reason behind naxal problems. Indian polity on other hand, has happily chosen to ignore them and rely on armed offensive solely.
A simple yet seemingly tough 'land reforms' throughout the country (as envisaged by founding fathers of India) would be the greatest panacea towards this issue.
The example of West Bengal & Kerala, both states ruled by Communists are example enough to prove the effectiveness of land reforms in dealing the ground level inequities in distribution of assets.
Lets see which government would have the courage to fulfill the agenda of land-reforms rather than just paying lip service.
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